In addition to my Paris Weekender blog, I am a contributor to the AngloInfo site for Paris & Île-de-France. If you are not already familiar with AngloInfo, you should be! It's a fantastic resource for expats everywhere. AngloInfo is active in over 100 regions and...
It was one of those oppressively hot days in late July when I happened upon a green gate off rue des Rosiers, just a block from my apartment. I had never noticed this gate before, so I peaked in. To my surprise, I found a whole city park I never knew existed! And a...
Travel by train is my favorite type of travel in Europe. The trains are generally on time, very organized, clean and comfortable. Gare de Lyon, Paris Compared to air travel, you do not have luggage and carry-on restrictions and you do not have to arrive in advance for...
In the heart of the Marais sits a 13th century cellar. I walked by a hundred times and never knew it was there. It's just one of the many hidden treasures Paris reveals, little by little, as you get to know the city. A bit of history... You may already know that the...
Last summer, my family and I made a 4-night excursion to The Marais Poitevin, La Rochelle & Île de Ré as a detour on the way from Paris out to Brittany. Top: the Marais Poitevin; bottom left: Brouage; bottom right: La Rochelle Combining the Marais Poitevin, La...
There are so many sites and museums to visit, so many neighborhoods to explore and so many restaurants and cafés to try that a first-time visit to Paris can often be overwhelming. That is why I highly recommend not trying to do it all. My recommendation is this: Think...
One thing I've learned in France, I will always be perplexed by local festivals. This Sunday, friends and I were strolling into Auray, in Brittany's Morbihan department, and encountered a huge crowd of people hovering at the edge of the river. A DJ added to the...
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking an Eye Prefer Paris tour of the Marais with fellow Marais resident Richard Nahem. I had taken Paris Walks' Marais walking tour and I've lived in the Marais for the last two years. So I wasn't expecting to learn a whole lot...
My least favorite word in the French language was and may still be the word normalement. Normalement basically means "if all goes according to plan". When you add normalement to a response, it means the thing should happen. For example: Question: « Le magasin est...
I am visiting friends in Brussels this week and trying to cope with the lack of 3G so as not to rack up roaming charges on my iphone. But thanks to a tip from my friend, my nomadism just got a whole lot easier. Did you know that there's an app that not only gives you...
